The Ultimate Bow Hunting Quiz

Bow hunting is a popular form of recreation in the United States and around the world. The bow has been employed for hunting, fishing, and war since early civilizations first developed the bow and arrow. For those who do not care to hunt, archery can be a great family sport or a professional pursuit with cash prizes. Take our quiz to learn more about bow hunting.

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Question 1 of 20

How is bow hunting different from hunting with a rifle or shotgun?

A bow hunter has to get much closer to an animal to make the kill.

Today's arrows fly further and penetrate deeper than they used to. However, bow hunters must still be able to get much closer to their prey for a quick and clean kill.

Modern bow design has made bow hunting no different from using a gun.

The only difference is that bow hunting always has a separate unique season and rules.

Question 2 of 20

How far from their target can most rifle hunters be and still effectively make a clean kill?

400 yards

600 yards

A skilled rifle hunter may shoot effectively from ranges that exceed 600 yards (550 m). A bow hunter would not even consider attempting a shot from even half that distance.

800 yards

Question 3 of 20

What is the maximum distance that a bow hunter can be from the target?

about 31 yards

about 42 yards

Archers must usually restrict shots to distances of about 42 yards (38 m) depending upon individual ability and many other variables. This fact makes bow hunting attractive to a smaller number of hunters, who have to develop hunting skills beyond what a rifle hunter requires.

about 53 yards

Question 4 of 20

What are some other variables that bow hunters must consider before taking their best shot?

bow strength, arrow type, and arrow tip

terrain, weather, and the size of a target animal

both of the above

Bow hunters must consider the target animal, bow strength, arrow type and tip, terrain, and even the weather. A bow hunter can take years to develop the ability and skill required to move quickly and quietly across any terrain.

Question 5 of 20

What else do bow hunters have do to get close enough to an animal to be successful?

foil an animal’s sense of smell

Because they have to get so close for a shot bow hunters must foil an animal's sense of smell. They also must be able to move slowly and quietly enough to fool an animal's senses of sight and hearing.

crawl or slither quietly

shoot accurately while running after an animal

Question 6 of 20

What county brags that its citizen had to shoot an apple from his own son's head to escape punishment?

England

Scotland

Switzerland

Legend has it that William Tell refused to bow to the hat of an evil bailiff in Switzerland and was forced to shoot an apple off his son's head with his own crossbow to escape punishment.

Question 7 of 20

In what year did the William Tell sharpshooting event allegedly take place?

in 1288

in 1307

According to legend, Tell successfully shot the apple from his son's head in 1307.

in 1492

Question 8 of 20

What is the recognized era of construction for the oldest known arrows?

Late Stone Age

The oldest known arrows were dated to the upper Paleolithic period, also referred to as the Late Stone Age. Experts believe that the arrows are up to 40,000 years old.

Early Bronze Age

Early Helladic Age

Question 9 of 20

Where were the oldest known arrows found?

Asia

Africa

The oldest arrows were located in what is now Africa. Between 25,000 BCE and 18,000 BCE, humans first used wooden arrowheads and eventually progressed to fire-hardened stone with feathers on the shafts.

Greece

Question 10 of 20

In what country did researchers uncover the body of a person with quivers containing 14 wooden arrows and flint arrowheads?

Italy

According to strictlybowhunting.com, researchers’ uncovered human remains on the Italy/Austria border dating from about 3,300 B.C. This person was carrying advanced tools such as a framed backpack, utility belt, a copper axe, and quivers with 14 wooden arrows that had flint arrowheads and feathers.

Iraq

Egypt

Question 11 of 20

What did archeologists find in Egypt that confirmed early bow hunting?

a bow, arrows, and an animal skull with an arrow through it in a pharos tomb

Egyptians were the first peoples to make composite bows that gave superior performance to wooden bows in about 2800 BCE. Their composite bows were manufactured from wood, animal horn, animal sinew, and catgut.

Question 13 of 20

What country claims to have manufactured the first crossbow?

China

China claims the first crossbows were invented in their country between 1500 and 1027 BCE.

Denmark

Switzerland

Question 14 of 20

What famous warrior was fist credited with using composite bows for himself and his warriors?

Genghis Khan

Genghis Khan is credited with the first use of a composite bow in 1208. Many believe that Genghis Khan was the greatest conqueror of all time, as his empire was four times larger than that of Alexander the Great.

Alexander the Great

Attila the Hun

Question 15 of 20

What year was the National Archery Association (NAA) founded?

1860

1879

The National Archery Association (NAA) was founded in Indiana in 1879. The NAA later became the U.S. Archery Association (USAA).

1897

Question 16 of 20

In what year was archery introduced as an Olympic sport?

1900

Archery was introduced into the Olympic Games in 1900, but was dropped from 1920 to 1972 due to the lack of universal rules. It was reintroduced at the 1972 games as an individual event.

1920

1935

Question 17 of 20

Who co-published a book that many feel made modern bow hunting popular in the United States?

Dr. Ben Pearson

Dr. Earl Holt

Dr. Saxon Pope

Pope co-authored a book titled “Hunting with the Bow and Arrow” along with colleague Arthur Young. The pair is given credit for popularizing modern bow hunting in America.

Question 18 of 20

How did the authors learn about bow hunting skills?

from a Yana tribesman named Ishi

Pope and Young learned about bow hunting from a Yana tribesman named Ishi, the last member of his California tribe, who shared his bow hunting secrets with the two men.

from an Apache tribal chief

interviews with native peoples familiar with bow hunting

Question 19 of 20

What is nocking?

rocking the feet back and forth to obtain stable footing

pulling the arrow and string into firing position

positioning the arrow in the bow

To be successful at bow hunting, you need to follow several basic steps. The first step is called nocking, which is positioning the arrow in the bow.

Question 20 of 20

How many basic methods of bow hunting are there?

three

There are three basic methods of bow hunting: the still method, the stalking method, and the glass method.